AFC academy in Putrajaya affirms its place as ‘football hub’ to Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Putrajaya will become the football hub to Asia, with the plan to build the new academy of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), says its secretary-general Datuk Alex Soosay.

He said the academy, to be known as AFC’s centre of excellence, would cater to youth and grassroots development on completion in 2019. It will join the Asean Football Federation (AFF) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters at Malaysia’s federal administrative centre.

“It is going to be a huge football development centre where we will have football pitches, mini pitches, mini-hotel to accommodate grassroots programmes,” Soosay told reporters after the AFC-Toyota Innova presentation ceremony at AFC House in Bukit Jalil here today.

“Job opportunities will be available in coaching, training, development, refereeing as well as technical staff.”

However, Soosay said AFC’s current 1.62-hectare headquarters will remain in Bukit Jalil, with an extra 0.41-hectare for expansion to cater to training and development.

“We will have a football pitch here (Bukit Jalil) to train the trainers and expansion of the AFC building,” he said.

The AFC, formed on May 8, 1954, in Manila, in the Philippines, consists of 46 member associations and one associate member association. It moved to the current headquarters in Bukit Jalil, dubbed AFC House, in 2000.

The relocation of the AFC secretariat from Hong Kong to Malaysia was initiated by the founder and first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, while former FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah was the man who enabled the confederation to have the AFC House in Bukit Jalil.

Its secretariat had moved to Penang in 1965, followed by Ipoh, in Perak (1975) and Kuala Lumpur (1978) before finally settling in its own building.

Toyota Motor Sales and Marketing Corporation president and chief executive officer Masanao Tomozoe said the presentation of the Toyota Innova  symbolised Toyota’s partnership with the AFC.

“Going forward, Toyota in its partnership with AFC intends to promote grassroots activities, such as football clinics and programmes for the youth and children, through (Toyota’s) distributors and dealer network in Asia, Middle East and Australia,” Tomozoe said.

“We would be grateful if such activities are able to contribute, even in the smallest way, to the prosperity the AFC aims to achieve for the sport of football in Asia.” — Bernama